The Viet Nam Rubber Association (VRA) is a social-professional organization that gathers and represents Vietnamese enterprises, organizations, and citizens, operating in the rubber industry or related to the rubber industry. VRA is established voluntarily to gather and unite members, protect the members’ legitimate rights and interests, support the effective mutual operation, contribute to the sustainable development of the rubber industry and the socio-economy of Viet Nam.
VRA has been operating since the end of 2004. By the end of November 2019, VRA has 130 members, who are state-owned, private, joint-stock, joint venture, foreign capital companies, comprising of producers, processors, manufacturers, traders, exporters, importers and organizations of finance, research, training, supporting and services related to the Viet Nam rubber industry. VRA is currently the member of the following organizations: Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI); the International Rubber Association (IRA); the ASEAN Rubber Business Council (ARBC); the Panel of Associates of the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG); and the collaborator of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC).
In 2006, VRA established the Vietnam Rubber Export Insurance Fund (Fund), which is the financial support its members to reduce risks in natural rubber production and export as well as to implement the trade promotion programs. The Fund also provides financial support partly to some of VRA’s activities. Members voluntarily participate and contribute up to 1% of their natural rubber export turnover to this Fund.
Since 2015, VRA has implemented the project of building and developing the Viet Nam rubber industry brand based on the legal basis of the Certification Mark “Cao su Việt Nam / Viet Nam Rubber.” VRA has successfully registered intellectual property protection of this Certification Mark in Viet Nam and some target markets. By the end of November 2019, after four years of implementation, VRA has granted the right to use the Certification Mark to 14 members with 67 products from 25 factories that meet VRA’s criteria.
Since 2018, VRA has put forward an action plan for sustainable natural rubber and undertaken some initial steps. Particularly, VRA, together with the Viet Nam Rubber Group (VRG), has cooperated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Viet Nam to develop and disseminate the Handbook “Guideline for sustainable management of rubber plantations following international forest certification standard. Simultaneously, VRA, VRG, and Rubber Research Institute of Vietnam cooperate with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Viet Nam to develop the Handbook “Technical guideline for sustainable natural rubber production.” VRA and VRG are cooperating with many NGOs such as PanNature, Oxfam Vietnam, and UNDP to develop the Guideline on the reduction of environmental and social risks in agricultural investment abroad. VRA has contributed some recommendations to ANRPC on developing and implementing an action plan for sustainable natural rubber industry to its member countries since 2019.
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